Iran War Highlights: Iran buries Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amid renewed US strikes
Iran War Highlights: Iran concluded the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, more than four months after he was killed in US-Israeli airstrikes, with his burial taking place in the holy city of Mashhad amid massive crowds
Iran War Highlights: President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned that the US bombing of Iran would increase significantly if the Islamic Republic continues to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
"This is in retribution for yesterday's bombing of ships by Iran. If it happens again, it will get much worse!" Trump said in a social media post. The US President also reiterated his message while speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, returning from a NATO summit in Turkey.
"We just hit them very hard, and I say we hit them 20 to one. Every time they hit us, we're going to hit them 20," Trump told reporters. "And we did it last night. They did a little something today, but it was really retribution for last night."
US strikes Iran again
The US carried out multiple strikes on Iran on Wednesday in the southern port cities of Bandar Abbas and Sirik, as well as Bushehr, home to Iran’s nuclear power plant complex.
Hostilities between Iran and the US resumed earlier this week after Tehran struck three tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz. According to Iran, the interim ceasefire deal gives it the right to manage traffic through the strait, a claim with which the US disagrees.
The US responded by carrying out strikes in Iran even as the country was in the midst of the funeral of its long-time Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed along with his family members on the first day of the war on February 28. The US also revoked the license allowing the sale of Iranian oil, for the first time in years.
Iran retaliated by carrying out drone and ballistic missile attacks on Bahrain, home to the US Navy’s 5th Fleet, and Kuwait, home to US Army forces. While both countries have acknowledged the strikes, the extent of the damage, if any, is unclear.
US-Iran peace talks in doubt
The renewed hostilities have raised fears about the collapse of the interim peace deal and the future negotiations between the US and Iran, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar. Trump even suggested that further negotiations with Iran were "a waste of time," adding that he wasn't sure if he wanted to reach a peace agreement with Tehran.
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Iran War LIVE: US denies launching fresh strikes after Iran reports attack on Bushehr military headquarters
Iranian state media claimed a US-Israeli projectile struck a military headquarters on the outskirts of Bushehr on Thursday.
IRNA quoted Bushehr deputy governor Ehsan Jahanian as saying the military headquarters was hit by the "American-Zionist enemy."
However, AFP citing a US defence official said that the US military was not currently carrying out any strikes on Iran.
Iran War LIVE: Mojtaba Khamenei remains out of public view
The funeral also drew renewed attention to Khamenei's son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who has remained out of public view since assuming leadership following his father's assassination.
Mojtaba has not appeared publicly or in any official video since his appointment, fuelling speculation about his health and his role in negotiations with the United States.
Iran War LIVE: Iran buries Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amid renewed US strikes
Iran on Thursday concluded the funeral of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, more than four months after he was killed in US-Israeli airstrikes, with his burial taking place in the holy city of Mashhad amid massive crowds and renewed military escalation with the United States.
Khamenei was laid to rest at the Shrine of Imam Reza, one of Shia Islam's holiest sites, after six days of elaborate funeral processions and mourning ceremonies that stretched across five cities in Iran and Iraq.
Iran War LIVE: US pounds Iran for third straight day; explosions heard in Bushehr, Konarak and Choghadak
Several explosions were reported across southern Iran on Thursday, according to Iran's Mehr news agency.
Blasts were heard in Bushehr, Konarak, and Choghadak, Mehr reported.
At least six explosions were reported in Bushehr and Choghadak.
Bushehr is home to Iran's only civilian nuclear power plant.
The explosions came amid the third consecutive day of US military strikes on Iranian targets.
The developments follow the collapse of a fragile US-Iran ceasefire and renewed cross-border attacks.
Iran War LIVE: Thousands gather for Ali Khamenei's final farewell
Iran's state broadcaster, Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), reported that Khamenei's body was transported by air to the shrine because of the huge crowds gathered along the route between Danesh intersection and the Holy Shrine of Imam Reza.
State television aired footage showing thousands of mourners lining the streets of Mashhad as the funeral convoy passed through the city.
IRIB also showed mourners carrying anti-US and anti-Trump banners, reflecting public anger over Khamenei's killing and calls to hold Washington responsible.
The broadcaster said the burial ceremony would be held in the presence of members of the former supreme leader's family but did not identify those expected to attend.
Iran War LIVE: US strikes Iran's power networks as Khamenei's burial draws huge crowds - Report
Electricity infrastructure in Chabahar and Konarak in southeastern Iran was also reportedly hit, knocking three transmission lines out of service and causing power outages in parts of the region.
The strikes formed part of a second consecutive night of US-Iran tit-for-tat attacks, further escalating tensions, according to the FT.
Iran War LIVE: US airstrikes hit railway bridges ahead of Khamenei's burial in Mashhad - Report
According to the Financial Times (FT):
US strikes hit railway bridges on routes leading to Mashhad, where Iran's late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was due to be buried.
The overnight attacks coincided with Khamenei's burial ceremony, as large crowds gathered in Mashhad following six days of funeral processions.
Passenger train services from Tehran and southern Iranian cities to Mashhad were disrupted after one strike hit a railway bridge about 55 km from the holy city, FT reported.
Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the strikes as a provocation, saying they showed Washington's "inability to comprehend the depth of Iranians' patriotism and loyalty to the revolution's ideals."
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said a cruise missile struck a railway bridge in Aqqala, in Golestan province, adding there were no casualties.
The damaged railway forms part of the Gorgan-Incheh Borun line, a key passenger, cargo and Central Asia trade corridor linking Iran with Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.
Iran War LIVE: Iran prepares to bury Ayatollah Ali Khamenei amid renewed US-Iran hostilities
Iran is preparing to bury its slain Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in his hometown of Mashhad, more than four months after he was killed in US-Israeli airstrikes.
Khamenei will be laid to rest at the Shrine of Imam Reza, one of Shia Islam's holiest sites, following six days of funeral ceremonies across Iran and Iraq. Thousands of mourners dressed in black gathered in Mashhad, waving Iranian flags and revolutionary banners as the funeral procession reached its final stage.
Iran War LIVE: Iran accelerates oil exports as Hormuz tensions rise
Iran exported around 11 million barrels of crude oil via six tankers in the past 24 hours amid renewed tensions with the US.
Five supertankers and one Suezmax departed Iranian ports, according to Bloomberg tanker-tracking data.
Four vessels were tracked in the Gulf of Oman, while another transited the Strait of Hormuz.
The shipments came as the US launched a second day of airstrikes on Iran following Tehran's attacks on commercial vessels.
The renewed conflict has threatened a fragile US-Iran peace deal and heightened regional instability.
Iran War LIVE: Iran, Oman and Turkey call for diplomacy amid Hormuz crisis
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi held separate phone calls with his counterparts from Oman and Turkey on Thursday.
The discussions focused on the latest regional developments, particularly the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.
The talks came amid heightened tensions in the Gulf following recent military escalation.
According to Iran's foreign ministry, the parties agreed on the need to use diplomatic channels to ease regional tensions.
Iran War LIVE: Qatar urges diplomacy after Iran launches attacks on US facilities in Gulf
Qatar, home to the largest US military base in the Middle East, condemned attacks on commercial shipping while urging all parties to return to diplomacy.
The Gulf nation has frequently acted as a mediator between Washington and Tehran during previous regional crises.
Iran's military said it had launched drone attacks on US Patriot missile systems in Kuwait, an early warning site in Qatar and a US military fuel storage facility in Bahrain.
Kuwait said its armed forces intercepted a cruise missile, three ballistic missiles and ten drones in its airspace. One person was reportedly injured by falling debris.
Jordan also activated air raid sirens after Iranian missiles entered its airspace. Authorities said eight missiles were intercepted without causing casualties or damage.
Iran later said it had fired ten ballistic missiles at Jordan's Azraq military base, which hosts US forces, as well as a US military command centre in the region.
Iran War LIVE: Iran says US strikes hit Bushehr nuclear plant perimeter
Iranian officials said US strikes carried out on July 8 and 9 killed 14 people and injured 78 across five provinces.
Authorities also reported explosions in Bushehr province and Bandar Abbas on Thursday morning.
A local official said a US projectile struck the perimeter of the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant, though there were no reports of damage to the reactor itself. The perimeter of the facility had previously been hit several times before the April ceasefire.
US strikes also targeted a military installation and a fishing dock in Bushehr province, according to Iranian officials. (Reuters)
Iran War LIVE: Hormuz tanker traffic nearly halts as US-Iran tensions escalate
Oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a near standstill on Thursday as heightened tensions between the United States and Iran raised fresh concerns over maritime security in one of the world's busiest energy corridors.
According to shipping data and industry sources, only two tankers had transited the strait in the early hours of Thursday, reflecting growing caution among shipowners following renewed US airstrikes on Iran and Tehran's retaliatory attacks in the Gulf.
The vessels included the crude supertanker Berg 1, which had loaded oil from Iran's Kharg Island and is subject to US sanctions, according to shipping analytics firm Kpler. The Marshall Islands-flagged chemical tanker Well Sail also crossed the strait after departing from waters near Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. (Reuters)
Iran War LIVE: Three IRGC members killed in US strikes on Iran - Report
Three members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards were killed in US strikes on Iran on Thursday, according to Iran's Mizan News Agency.
Iran War LIVE: Iran targets Jordan's Azraq base with ballistic missiles, warns US
Iran's Revolutionary Guards citing state media said Iran fired 10 ballistic missiles at Jordan's Azraq military base on Thursday.
Jordan said it intercepted eight missiles launched from Iran before they reached their targets.
No casualties or damage were reported in Jordan, according to the state news agency.
The missile launch marks a significant escalation in regional tensions involving Iran, Jordan, and the United States.
The Revolutionary Guards warned that US military bases in the region would be targeted if what they called "U.S. aggression" was repeated.
Iran War LIVE: Massive turnout for Khamenei's funeral amid tight security
State television quoted Mashhad governor Hassan Hosseini as saying authorities expected as many as 15 million people to attend Ali Khamenei's funeral.
With temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius, authorities deployed water sprinklers to cool mourners gathered near the shrine. The conflict also disrupted transportation, forcing the closure of the Tehran-Mashhad rail line, while road transport was arranged for stranded passengers.
Iran War LIVE: Khamenei's funeral marked by calls for vengeance
Mourners, dressed largely in black, carried red flags symbolising vengeance in Shia Islam as they lined the streets leading to the shrine. Many openly called for retaliation against Israel following Ali Khamenei's assassination.
The coffin carrying Khamenei was escorted by at least one fighter jet as it arrived in Mashhad, highlighting the tense security situation after fresh hostilities erupted with the United States despite a ceasefire agreement reached last month.
Iran War LIVE: Final farewell in Khamenei's hometown
Thousands of Iranians gathered in the northeastern city of Mashhad on Thursday for the burial of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, whose death in an Israeli airstrike in late February ended more than three and a half decades of rule.
The burial at the Shrine of Imam Reza will conclude six days of funeral ceremonies held across Tehran, the religious city of Qom and Iraq.
Iran War LIVE: Oil climbs as escalating US-Iran tensions fuel supply concerns
Oil prices rose as markets assessed the escalating US-Iran conflict and its implications for global crude supplies.
Brent crude gained 53 cents (0.68%) to $78.55 per barrel.
WTI crude advanced 39 cents (0.53%) to $73.91 per barrel.